Love Isn't Worth It
by Aratar
Summary: January 12th TA 2915: A day like any other for the people of Ered Luin. Except for perhaps the youngest heir of Durin who seems to have fallen under love's spell. But it would seem the art of courtship is far more complex than master Kíli had previously imagined...


_12th of January, TA 2915_

"Ori, how do you let someone know that you love them?"

The quiet dwarf looked up wordless from his dusty tome to stare at the youngest heir of Durin stood in the doorway of his study. He stared in a moment of confused silence. It wasn't that he was not accustomed to visits from Kíli but more to do with the fact that he wasn't quite sure how to respond to such a direct question thrown at him without context or introduction.

Kíli stared back, wide-eyed as he drummed his fingers against his leg. Aside from his mouth slightly agape, Kíli could not read any emotion from Ori's face.

"Well?" The dark-haired prince prompted.

This time Ori's brow furrowed slightly until eventually he spoke-

"You could write her a poem?" Ori suggested.

* * *

 _27th of January, TA 2915_

The past couple weeks had seen the bedroom of the two Princes of Durin littered with a continual supply of scrapped paper and broken quills which were either dutifully picked up by Fíli or were chucked out by Dís (if the latter was the case, it was often accompanied by a brisk scold).

Wednesday however had brought an end to the unprecedented piles of litter- much to Fíli's relief. The golden-haired dwarf sat in his bed reading a tome Ori had lent him as he awaited his brother's return from the market.

As the sun sat cradled in the hills on he horizon against a deep red sky, the young dwarf left the last of a long line of merchants' stalls, balancing a pile of groceries in his arms (and now wishing that he had brought a basket with him). With his eyes cast on the floor and scuffing his boots along the path, Kili trudged home.

"By Durin's beard, don't you look like quite the cheerless character today!" A familiar voice exclaimed, taking Kíli by surprise and it very nearly brought his miniature mountain of fruit crashing down.

"Uncle?" Kíli looked up to see his Uncle Thorin walking alongside him and Kíli forced a half-hearted smile in greeting (not that he despised his Uncle, quite the opposite really, but right now- he wasn't much in the mood for company).

"What seems to be the matter Kíli?"

"Uncle, how do you tell a dwarrowdam that you like them?" Kíli got straight to the point, finding no point in dancing around the subject needlessly.

At the unanticipated nature of Kíli's question, Thorin let a hearty chuckle erupt from his lips. The reaction causing his nephew to furrow his brow further in frustration. It seemed to Kíli nobody seemed to understand how hard this was...

Seeing that his sister-son was certainly not amused, Thorin's laughter quickly faded as he tried to rake his mind for some semi-decent advice to give. "Well Kíli, not many seek my advice on such matters but I would say make sure that they're interested in you first. And then speak with honesty, it will come to pass if it was meant to be." Thorin said, fairly proud of what he had come up with.

A moment of silence passed between the two as Kíli seemed to mull over his Uncle's words. Until, without warning (nor so much as a farewell), Kíli gallivanted off home with a newfound spring in his step.

* * *

 _2nd of February, TA 2915_

Fíli had watched as his brother sat by the window every morning and evening without fail for the past week. Fíli had offered to help him with whatever it was he was doing but strangely enough, Kíli refused his offer. And so whilst Fíli would practice the lyre or his fiddle, Kíli would sit there with a glum expression. But every now and then, Fíli caught his brother perk up and he would stare out the window with such intensity that Fíli might have guessed he wanted to determine every thought of a passer-by from a distance.

It took master Kíli a total of 6 days before he no longer sat posted at the window when Fíli entered the kitchen for breakfast.

That evening Fíli was out at the tavern with several friends, leaving Kíli and his mother enjoy each others company.

"Mother, if you love someone very much-" Kíli started, raising his gaze to meet his mother's- only then to be put off by the ridiculous look she was giving him at the very mention of the word ' _love_ '. You know, that embarrassing ' _isn't-that-adorable_ ' look that parents give.

"And you would like to court this young maiden?" Dís' smile grew wider by the second as she began to prod her son for more information.

"Perhaps" Kíli muttered as he tried to hide the heat rising to his cheeks by letting his dark locks fall in front of his face as he looked down. Not that it would fool his mother. Annoyingly, nothing ever seemed to fool her.

"Why not take her dancing? That's how your father and I met." Dís suggested with a dreamy edge to her tone. In reply to which she got a mere shrug of shoulders and a muffled grunt from her youngest son.

* * *

 _5th of February, TA 2915_

The two sister-sons of Thorin Oakenshield stood side by side with their favoured weapons in hand- a pair of twin swords for Fíli and a bow for Kíli. Towering above the young lads was master Dwalin, a renowned warrior and a very close friend to their Uncle, who had happily taken on the job of weapons master for the two wee ones.

The three of them were about an hour into their practice session when Dwalin began to notice Kíli's performance dwindling faster than it usually did.

"Something the matter, Kíli?" Dwalin asked as he walked over to the dark-haired princeling.

"Just tired is all." Kíli replied in an uncharacteristically sober tone.

Dwalin had noted the bruises on Kíli's legs as he had walked but had taken little notice of them until now. "And those bruises on your legs?" Dwalin pointed out, to which Kíli just gave a shrug. Knowing that he would not be getting anything more out of Kíli (he had inherited his Uncle's stubbornness after all), Dwalin left Kíli to his own devices and walked over to Fíli.

"Has your brother been practicing his swordplay recently or something?" Dwalin asked.

A short pause.

"Something like that-" Fíli answered plainly.

Once the training session had finished, Fíli carried the swords back to the weapons rack- effectively leaving Dwalin and Kíli together.

"Dwalin have you ever fancied a dwarf-maid?" Kíli broke the still silence between the two of them.

The seasoned warrior suppressed a smile as he figured out what it was that was dragging down Kíli's mood. _Love._ "Alas I haven't laddie,"

"Well, if you did-" Kíli shrugged nonchalantly, trying to make it seem as though he didn't care. "How would you get her to notice you?"

"No dame alive could resist a warrior who could wield a mighty war hammer." Dwalin gave Kíli a knowing wink before going to help Fíli.

* * *

 _6th of February, TA 2915_

The next day, Fíli had to report to Dwalin that Kíli would not be attending practice that day. It had something to do with an accident with one of Uncle Thorin's war hammers.

Dwalin didn't say anything for the whole session after that.

* * *

 _6th of February, TA 2915..._ _Later that day..._

Back at home, Óin was tending to master Kíli's sprained wrist. The elderly apothecary had no clue what might have compelled the dwarfling to try and swing around his Uncle's war hammers but it was not in his place to ask.

Besides, master Kíli didn't seem to be in a talking mood.

Once Kíli's bandages had been changed, Glóin and Gimli came in to fetch the apothecary. Wee Gimli helped his uncle pack away his herbs and salves while Glóin walked over to Kíli's bedside.

"Nasty wound you got there, son." The dwarf commented, "Don't worry though, us fighters all have to start somewhere." He chortled.

Though Kíli didn't seem interested in what he had to say and continued to stare at Óin and Gimli. When he spoke, it was as though he hadn't listened to anything lóin had said. "Glóin, how did you and your wife fall in love?"

"A great deal ask me that and there's no doubt that it would be down to this." He pointed proudly at the great orange bush of hair he had for a beard.

Needless to say, that Glóin was a little taken back as the heir of Durin simply glared at him and turned away muttering something that sounded like ' _I'm not even going to bother_ '

* * *

 _12th of February, TA 2915_

 _Love was not worth it_ , Kíli had decided. _It was not worth the effort nor the pain (both on a physical and emotional level) for that matter_.

And so Kíli sat inside the house with his carving knife as he stabbed at a block of wood- not intent on making anything, just trying to alleviate his boredom (to no avail, might I add).

He had closed the curtains, annoyed that the sun should be shining so deceivingly bright as though there was everything in the world to be grateful for. Kíli had spent most of the day alone until his brother walked in- it must have been early afternoon- with a bright smile spread across his face. As Fíli looked to his younger brother wallowing in his own self-pity, the fair-haired dwarf gave a sympathetic chuckle and came to sit beside his brother.

"Shame you're missing a beautiful day outside." He remarked.

"Not really."

"You know I don't know how many rabbits I counted on the way back from the forge."

"I don't care."

"Well I suppose if you want to stay cooped up in here, I'll have to take on the title as best archer of the family since I'm going out hunting now."

Kíli pursed his lips, not saying anything but it was clear his brother had struck a chord.

"I'll see you at dinner," Fíli stood up and wandered over to the door "Where you can sample the delicious meat I'm bringing home tonight."

"Sure." Was Kíli's simple reply.

Fíli left the room and Kíli listened as his footsteps echoed down the hallway. He stared at his block of wood- almost tempted to get up. Fíli was a good fighter and he could use a bow but he was too slow to catch anything nearly as fast as a rabbit. _Everyone_ knew Kíli was the only one of the two who brought home rabbits.

He hoped mother hadn't invited any guests for dinner if Fíli was hunting.

"Also, do you mind if I take your bow?" Fíli's voice carried from the doorway- at which stage Kíli couldn't stay still a second longer and leapt out of the room.

"Wait! I'm using it!" Kíli called as he ran after his brother.

* * *

 _12th of February, TA 2915_

 _4 hours later-_

Fíli carried 5 rabbits slung over his shoulder. Obviously all of them shot down by Kíli. As the two of them waded through the ferns and shrubs to get to Kíli's sixth kill that evening, Kíli finally opened up to Fíli. Given enough time, he always would.

"Fee, there's this dwarrowdam who I really like and I've been trying to tell her how I feel but all this poetry writing and dancing and beard-growing and fighting has just been getting me nowhere." Kíli half-mumbled the sentence.

"So, I've noticed" Fíli said, brushing his braids out of the way as he glanced at Kíli. "Have you actually tried talking to her?"

"No but she'll laugh if I just walk up to her. Everyone else seems to have these skills and talents to make them irresistible. And I'm- well I'm just me." Kíli's posture sagged as he kicked a stone into the undergrowth.

"And I don't think you ought to pretend any different." Fíli nodded as he plucked a wild rose from the thicket and handed it to Kíli.

Kíli took the rose in his hands and twirled it around, as Fíli removed his brother's arrow from the rabbit. Kíli had not cared much for flowers but in a burst of inspiration his eyes widened and lit up with an excited gleam.

"I know what I have to do!" He exclaimed happily as he hurdled over the bushes and back home. Leaving his elder brother to make his own way back home at a more leisurely pace.

* * *

 _14th of February, TA 2915_

Fíli had taken it upon himself to help his brother when needed and so as well as keeping the floor clean of wood shavings, he had wandered around the forest to find as many wild roses as he could and had returned with a bunch of 15 flowers.

Kíli didn't say much as he worked but he hummed along to the tunes that Fíli plucked on his lyre. A soft smile that Fíli hadn't seen in what felt like an age played on his lips all the while.

And when at last he was done, Kíli presented a beautifully carved wild rose from his wooden block. It was so well carved and painted that Fíli almost mistook it for one of the actual roses he had collected.

"Are you ready now?" Fíli asked.

"Yes." Kíli nodded excitedly as he placed his own wooden rose amongst the flowers Fíli had collected. "I'm going to tell her that I love her until the very last rose dies"

 **A/N: So I hope you enjoyed this! I wanted to experiment with a new style and I'm not sure how it's worked out so please do R &R! I didn't have particularly long to write this so I will likely revise this one-shot when I have more time~ **

**Happy Valentine's Day!**

 **Aratar Xx**


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